Ira D'Essance
Ira D'Essance is the drag character of , aka Gii. She won Season 2 of Ms. Paint's Art Race and compiles albums, masterposts, and other archives for the MPAR community. Meet the Queen First of all: why drag? Drag was what got me into fashion illustration tbh! For me, it’s the perfect balance between costume and couture -- it’s fashionable without getting too abstract or obscure. I love themed outfits; I love taking solid concepts and interpreting them through fashion. How much experience do you have as an artist/designer? Drawing has always been a hobby on the side for me, though drawing as a career would be The Dream! As a kid I mostly drew characters for my own stories, but none of those stories were ever fleshed out beyond character creation. I realized that I enjoyed character design more than the rest, and combined with my newfound love for drag it ignited my passion for fashion illustration and outfit design. When I found the drag fashion competition RuPaul’s Paper Race two years ago, I knew it hit all of my sweet spots and I had to join the community. Fast forward to today and now I’m one of the judges and organizers for Paper Race. What is your dream challenge? I’d love a challenge where we get to design a look based on a French pastry of our choice! I don’t recall that happening last season, if it did I must have blocked it out of my mind! What is your dream lipsync song? Anything by Lizzo, Florence and the Machine, or Death Grips. Especially Death Grips. What challenge would you have slayed on Season 1 of MPAR? The challenge of wading through the bullshit that was the voting manipulation. Describe your aesthetic in 3 words. mcdonald’s french fries You’re stranded on an island, and you only have ONE item. What is it? mcdonald’s french fries Why do you think you will win MPAR? I think I represent exactly what this competition is looking for. I’ve got a decent grasp on both art and design, and I’ve got a good sense of my taste and Ira’s aesthetic. Most importantly, I want to be a role model for the the community, and I hope I can prove myself by winning -- or at least by putting out some good looks. Is there anything else that you want viewers to know? Despite my stints as a Paper Race judge and FPR host, this is my first time auditioning for an art race like this! It’ll be an interesting experience being on the other side of the competition for once. Records Countdown to the Crown Awards * Best Look of the Season (Western) * #5 Best Looks of the Season (Bug) * #9 Best Looks of the Season (Red Carpet) * #2 Best Lipsync Look (G.U.Y.) * #4 Trendsetting Styles (Bold Silhouettes) * #5 Trendsetting Styles (All That Glitters) * Most Appearances in Top 10 Best Looks (three) Fun Facts *Ira is an organizer for RuPaul's Paper Race and and has drawn their host, a fictional version of RuPaul known as Ruzy Q, for both of their All Stars seasons. She has judged three seasons of Paper Race, and has won Best Judge all three times. *Ira and fellow Paper Race queen Sartana hosted Fashion Paint Review for Season 1. *Gii named Ira D'Essance after iridescence, one of her favorite things. *Ira's name out of drag is Ari Julian (because Ira is Ari backwards). "Ari is half-Taiwanese half...something, and is usually very androgynous anime boy-presenting, but he officially identifies as genderfluid and sometimes presents as female." Ari is also not a Sonic gijinka. Please stop asking. *Ira was created several years before Paper Race and MPAR to judge a magical girl OC tournament on deviantART. In this universe she was a magical drag queen with the power to manipulate glitter. *Ira and Pippy were rumored in shitpost series MPARty City to be in love. This is very wrong. Not that it's not true, just that it's not right. *Ira D'Essance is tied with Gretel for largest cast member album, with 36 images each. *Ira D'Essance has the most "Top Toots of the Week" (five) from Fashion Paint Review. Quotes *"my kokoro used to go doki doki but now it is broki broki" *"������������GONG XI FA CAI MOTHERFUCKERS������������ �� IT’S THE YEAR OF THE DOG �� and you know what that means you qipao SLUTS ������, It’s time to show your AHGONG���������� and AHMA���� your BIGGEST mandarin oranges ������������ and recieve the THICCEST HONGBAOS ������ get your love �� ��letters ready for some of your 大哥’s HUGE 懒觉 ���������� and get ready to be fucked ��������DOGGY style���� Don’t forget to visit your relatives ��������‍♂️�� and perform DOGGY STYLE���� to get MORE HONGBAOS�������� Send this to 8⃣8⃣ of your most SUPERSTITIOUS SLUTS �������� and get a sexy LION DANCE �������� this CNY‼‼‼ If you get 0⃣-3⃣ of these back, you won't get to enjoy any of that 大肉干 If you get 4⃣-7⃣ of these back your 年年有 ���������������� If you get more than 8⃣ back your flat chinese ass ������will be screaming HUAT AH tonight ♨♨����‼"